Naples' Johnny King takes part in USA Baseball, MLB sponsored developmental league

Having the chance to represent your country is a career highlight for most athletes.

For Johnny King, that experience came true last week in Cary, North Carolina.

The Miami commit was the lone player in Southwest Florida to receive an invite to the 2023 Prospect Development Pipeline, which is hosted by USA Baseball in collaboration with Major League Baseball. The league ran from June 26-July 3 at USA Baseball's headquarters.

"It's truly a blessing," King said. "This is a dream come true. This is a very big opportunity for me and I hope I can get to the final stage, which is gonna be in Taiwan with the best 20 players in the country. I really hope that I can get there, but if not, this is such a great opportunity for me."

The league is the primary identification event for USA Baseball's 18U National Team but is also used to invite 100 of the nation's top high school players that are eligible for the following year's MLB Draft. The 18U National Team will compete at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup from Sept. 1-10 in Tainan, Taiwan.

The 2023 Southwest Florida Baseball Player of the Year proved why he's a top 30 high school prospect in the 2024 class, according to Baseball America. King struck out 73 batters in just 38 innings this year for Naples, pitching to a 4-2 record with a 1.11 ERA. At the plate, King hit .443 with a team-leading 39 hits, 27 RBI, and 11 doubles.

King got the start on Thursday for Team Navy against Team Light Blue, throwing two innings while allowing no hits and an earned run while walking three and striking out two. King earned the win while Navy combined to throw a no-hitter in a 6-4 win.

The left-hander carried some serious momentum going into Cary, throwing a complete game no-hitter while striking out 17 in a playoff game at the Perfect Game 17U East Memorial Day Classic. King was subsequently named the Most Valuable Pitcher of the tournament.

"It's the best feeling," King said. "It's truly my hard work paying off. I've put so much time into pitching with all the lessons and being in the gym, all this type of stuff, and it's all paying off. I'm not stressing as much as I used to be about, 'Is this going to pay off?, 'What's going on here?', 'Why is this not working?', but it's all clicking now."

King has had a chance to hear from the Major League alumni in attendance, which includes Michael Cuddyer, LaTroy Hawkins, Jason Maxwell, Doug Mientkiewicz, Jack Wilson, and former Major League hitting coach Rick Eckstein among others. Cuddyer, Hawkins, and Maxwell are the coaches of the 18U National Team along with Butch Chaffin, a longtime college coach.

"I hope to learn everything about these big leaguers, and how they got there," King said. "I want to know about their paths that they took, and the experiences they had. They gave us a brief story, but it should be pretty cool to hear a bit more, and get more information."

Should King get the call to wear the stars and stripes along with the three letters of USA on the front of his uniform, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"There would be no feeling like it," King said. "It would be the best feeling ever. They need gamers, and I truly think that I'm a gamer and I can give them some help, but it would be an amazing feeling and really hope I can do it. It's always been a goal of mine since I was a little kid to play for this team. I hope that it can come true."

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples' Johnny King takes part in USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline